Gore to Obama on climate change: Talk is cheap, it’s time to act

Just as we’re discovering that the tough talk about the “fiscal cliff” is false, and that President Obama and the Democrats appear to possibly be folding, again, on the important topic of climate change, what we’re hearing from the Democrats is more talk than action.

Al Gore spent a lot of time in Washington, so he has to be well aware of the ability of the political class to talk a lot, yet do nothing.

Al Gore is calling on President Obama to make climate change a higher priority in his second term.

“I deeply respect our president and I am grateful for the steps that he has taken, but we cannot have four more years of mentioning this occasionally and saying it’s too bad that the Congress can’t act,” Gore said in New York City on Thursday, Reuters reports.

The remarks come three weeks after Obama pledged to focus on climate but offered no specific second-term plans and noted political hurdles to legislation.

“I don’t know what either Democrats or Republicans are prepared to do at this point, because this is one of those issues that’s not just a partisan issue,” Obama said at a post-election press conference on Nov. 14.

Until the Fox News studio is underwater, the Republican flat-earth society will continue to mock Al Gore, and mock climate change, and pretend that it’s not a problem. And the Democrats will continue talking as though they care, but still will do nothing, because they don’t.

Chris in Paris
An American in Paris, France. BA in History & Political Science from Ohio State. Provided consulting services to US software startups, launching new business overseas that have both IPO’d and sold to well-known global software companies. Currently launching a new cloud-based startup. Full bio here.

I think Gore has worked hard and long on climate change and done some significant things but his work, so far, has been a failure. And I believe it’s been a failure because there hasn’t been enough direct action. Gore might have accomplished more if he had done regular weatherization and solar barnraisings while he was VP (he could start doing them now), advocated a solar civil defense, pushed a zero emissions standard as at least a thought experiment, and proposed ecological design solutions for climate change.

The thing to do is to reduce short term climate forcers NOW all around the world as it makes a difference in a month or two. This is technically achievable, economically profitable, and has many ancillary beneficial effects. See the recent UNEP report on the issue for more specifics.

Moderator3

Do you want one removed?

Tibbo

Are you serious? Kyoto stabilised the out of control growth of the 80s and 90s. And Gore has been the most vocal proponent of climate change action in the US gov.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_R4XWKTKI2GIRNTSWTJRKRB5HTU D

Did he say this from the tarmac after landing his G-IV private jet????

GeorgeMokray

Sorry for the replication of posts. UNEP URL that doesn’t work in one, works in the other.

GeorgeMokray

There are things the Prez can do and much less a VP can do but the eight years of the Clinton administration were not very progressive for the environment and, in particular, for climate change. I commend Gore for the work he has done but criticize him for not doing more when he had at least a modicum of executive power and for “right fighting” climate change, trying to convince everyone that it’s a problem, rather than working directly on solutions that don’t require climate change belief. But then, the “no regrets” strategy has never been as attractive as the joy of conflict and controversy. “Inconvenient Truth” would have benefitted greatly from more than five minutes on solutions and Gore, to my knowledge, has yet to focus on solutions.

If you want to do something about climate change right now, deal with the short term climate forcers – black carbon, tropospheric ozone, and methane as a precursor to tropo ozone. These make a real difference locally and globally within a month or two and avoid the whole debate about who pays as the ancillary benefits in health and local economic production pay for themselves in a few months and keep producing those benefits into the future. Read the UNEP’s report for more recommendations: http://www.unep.org/publicatio…

We do not have a vision of a non-climate change future and have never taken the time to dream it up. We need a unifying vision with concrete goals. That is where I put my energy rather than trying to convince Sen Imhofe that the Arctic is melting.

I don’t expect Obama to do anything much either. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to write my letters and make some noise but I prefer to do things that have some immediate benefit. I’ll keep using my home-brew solar backpack and solar reading lights, gardening, helping a friend provide efficient cookstoves to Maasai women in Africa (http://www.maasaistovessolar.org), working on solar and weatherization barnraisings, and keep my garden (solar winter cloches this year for the first time).

I’ve always believed that I’m more powerful than any politician, especially in my own life. If I and my neighbors can make real change in our real lives here down on the ground and in among the grassroots, the politicians will be happy to run to the head of the parade and pretend they are leading it. Gore is the same. Obama is the same. Even Imhofe is the same.

Glad that Gore is making some noise. Wish that he made as much noise when he was VP and wish that he talked 90% about the solutions and the future they make starting today rather than keep trying to convince doubters that climate change is real by, primarily, going “Boogity, boogity, climate change gonna get your mama!!!!” Scare tactics haven’t working for the last 30 years. What makes us think they’ll work today?

Guest

There are things the Prez can do and much less a VP can do but the eight years of the Clinton administration were not very progressive for the environment and, in particular, for climate change. I commend Gore for the work he has done but criticize him for not doing more when he had at least a modicum of executive power and for “right fighting” climate change, trying to convince everyone that it’s a problem, rather than working directly on solutions that don’t require climate change belief. But then, the “no regrets” strategy has never been as attractive as the joy of conflict and controversy. “Inconvenient Truth” would have benefitted greatly from more than five minutes on solutions and Gore, to my knowledge, has yet to focus on solutions.

If you want to do something about climate change right now, deal with the short term climate forcers – black carbon, tropospheric ozone, and methane as a precursor to tropo ozone. These make a real difference locally and globally within a month or two and avoid the whole debate about who pays as the ancillary benefits in health and local economic production pay for themselves in a few months and keep producing those benefits into the future. Read the UNEP’s report for more recommendations: http://www.unep.org/publications/ebooks/slcf/

We do not have a vision of a non-climate change future and have never taken the time to dream it up. We need a unifying vision with concrete goals. That is where I put my energy rather than trying to convince Sen Imhofe that the Arctic is melting.

GeorgeMokray

That’s a prize-winning long jump to a conclusion which has nothing to do with what I wrote or believe. Great mental exercise though.

OtterQueen

Exactly. It really is up to the VP, he should be calling on Biden, not Obama.

theoracle

Shorter Toxic Tea Party Republican and Blue Dog DLC Democrat (and much of the rest of the world’s governments) response to the looming global catastrophe: “Eat Climate Change, and Die!!!”

http://twitter.com/BillFromDover Bill from Dover

So… Sandy was all Al’s fault?

GeorgeMokray

That’s nice and it reduced the emission of greenhouse gases by how much? Advocation and education are beneficial but are not direct action. Gore had 8 years as VP and, in my very humble opinion, didn’t even talk about the issue very much let alone do something constructive about it.

BrianG

If you want something done, do it yourself. Run, Al, run.

http://www.facebook.com/anjum67 Anjum Husain

Good to know that Gore is pushing and obama is certainly helping…he’s also got the Sandy victims to take care of

Mike_in_the_Tundra

Well, he launched the GLOBE program, which was used to increase school children’s awareness of environmental issues, and he strongly advocated for the Kyoto Protocol.

GeorgeMokray

Please remind me what Al Gore did about climate change in the 8 years he was VP.